CurtPalme.com Home Theater Forum

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

It has been some time coming. Last week, I dropped off my Sony 34 inch direct view tv. It was the last of my CRTs. Ironically, it broke a week after I unloaded my projectors.

Yes, you heard that right. I sold my G90s and G70s to CJ back in December. I lost my temper about the election and decided to unload the projectors. It left me lighter if I decided to leave the country.

Right now, I have a JVC RS25 and Marantz 15 for projectors. I set up the JVC from time to time, but I don't have it permanently installed. I should probably unload the Marantz as I hardly use it. Nice pj though.

Two weeks ago, I bought a four year old LG plasma for $150. Out of the box, I was crying compared to my old Sony. I think Curt dubbed it clay face. Really disappointed. After doing a basic calibration, I was happy as a pig in mud. I need to do a full on calibration with it, but it smokes my old CRT in everything but on/off cr. I know there are a lot here that don't know how or haven't calibrated their displays. You really should head over to the Chromapure section and pick up a meter and software or call someone like Craig Rounds.

I think CRT still looks good and I will continue to look in, but for me I am out of the game. I am sure Crabb is having a little chuckle. He has told me I should move on long ago. I was just to stubborn. Wink

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

Hey, that truck looks familiar!

Those G90s live! Well, one of them is still short a YA board but both have joined the fleet, which currently stands at five G90s.

I'm NOT done with CRT yet. Or I'm in big trouble!

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 12:41 am Post subject:

34XBR960? Love those TV's. I still need a few.

km987654 · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 3:44 am Post subject: Re: CRT FREE

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

His projectors still exist, so the number of G90s hasn't changed, but the number of current G90 users is down by 1.

That can be corrected. If anybody wants a freshly retubed, fully overhauled G90, I know where you can get one..or two..even three.

garyfritz · Joined: 08 Apr 2006 Posts: 12026 Location: Fort Collins, CO

I might as well be in the "CRT FREE" crowd too. I still have my 8500 but I've only used it a few times in the last year. Mostly because I have a housemate living in the basement, and it's awkward to go down there to use the HT. Plus I never watched many movies by myself anyway, and now that my sons aren't here any more, it's just not as much fun to go down there by myself.

km987654 · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 5:35 am Post subject:

jbltecnicspro · Joined: 23 Apr 2016 Posts: 512

Still holding onto mine as PC monitors still don't come close in the aspects that I care about. Hoping one day that OLED will become more mainstream for PC monitors.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 11:31 pm Post subject:

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

I switched to LCD monitors when they hit 1080p, not a moment before that.

I admit it's nice to NOT have 150 pounds of twin Sun/Sony GDM-1510 CRT monitors eating up precious desk space anymore,
but their image quality was nothing that I've ever seen equalled by any flat panel monitor as of today.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 4:45 am Post subject:

I never understood the whole "eating up desk space" thing. What are you going to do with it? Lease it out to builders and put condo's there? Very Happy

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

Well, I actually do like to have a lot of open area on my desk. And my desk is not that deep. The big CRT monitors were fine when I had a much deeper desk at work, but here at home its depth is barely 2 feet which is about a foot less than my old work desk.

With a bigger desk to work with here I'd probably be rocking a pair of GDM-FW900s.

Heck, if I should be so fortunate as to win even a small lottery, I'll set up my PC workstation and use a 4K projector as my computer display. Something with very low latency as I like to play some games.

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2017 7:14 am Post subject:

Yeah I still need 9 GDM-FW900's. Beautiful monitors.

If I had the room I'd have a blended rear projection 3 CRT projector setup for my PC

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

You're in luck! There's a guy on ebay selling THREE 909s as one lot right now.

But they're skinless, have custom made mounting brackets on them, and he refused to show the tube condition, so his 7500 dollar
asking price may be a bit hard to stomach.

Spanky Ham · Joined: 22 Mar 2006 Posts: 5643 Location: Comedy Central

**AnalogRocks** · Posted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 6:54 pm Post subject:

Most of what I've seen wrong is bulged caps in the power board in SONY sets and bad power IC's MCZ3001DB IC w/ 18 Pin Socket.

cmjohnson · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 5180 Location: Buried under G90s

As for being "CRT free", I am entirely CRT free EXCEPT for the following:

Six Marquee 9500LC Ultra
Five Sony G90s
One Sony G70

Approximately 90 extra 9" CRTs, plus about a dozen 8" tubes.

Granted, some of these tubes are worn to the point that nobody will want them at any reasonable price, so those will
be disposed of in a legal and environmentally responsible manner, but that still leaves several dozen good tubes
that you'd be happy to have in your own CRT projector. Still others (quite a few sets) are in absolutely new condition.

I do not anticipate becoming truly "CRT free" for several years to come.

Quite the contrary, I'm still hoping to get my hands on a Barco 909/Cine 9/CineMAX at some point so I can learn the ins and outs
of Barco machines and compare image quality between it and the Ultras and G90s.